Construction and Building Inspectors: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Construction and Building Inspectors inspect structures using engineering skills to determine structural soundness and compliance with specifications, building codes, and other regulations. Inspections may be general in nature or may be limited to a specific area, such as electrical systems or plumbing.

• Inspect bridges, dams, highways, buildings, wiring, plumbing, electrical circuits, sewers, heating systems, or foundations during and after construction for structural quality, general safety, or conformance to specifications and codes.
• Inspect facilities or installations to determine their environmental impact.
• Issue permits for construction, relocation, demolition, or occupancy.
• Monitor installation of plumbing, wiring, equipment, or appliances to ensure that installation is performed properly and is in compliance with applicable regulations.

Salary

Construction and Building Inspectors with little to no experience tend to make between $35440 and $45920 while the more experienced ones can earn over $77400 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Construction and Building Inspector is to move to a higher paying state like CA. Right now, the highest paying states for Construction and Building Inspectors are CA, ND, AK, DC and WA.

However, a higher pay at CA doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at CA might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Construction and Building Inspector is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Construction and Building Inspectors what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Post-Secondary Certificate followed by a Bachelor’s Degree.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Construction and Building Inspector.

What is the job like

74% of Construction and Building Inspectors said they were satisfied with their job and 67% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Steve Mangekian

Alpha Home and Commercial Building Inspections

I have been a home and commercial building inspector for 16 years and have performed over 4000 inspections, our company has performed over 10,000 inspections. Because of my background in commercial construction and development, I have focused my inspection career on commercial building inspections. For a newer inspector, the days are very long. The biggest … Read More

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Aaron Shishilla

Waypoint Property Inspection

My Typical Day The typical day of a construction/building inspector can differ depending on the type of construction and the client. For example, most of our clients are for home buyers buying their first home (or having one built) or for businesses looking to purchase a building for their business. Most days, we are waking … Read More

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Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

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